Second Chances
by Ellen Brand
Summary: There are a lot of things Celes would change, if she could. When things go awry in the Opera House, she finally gets her chance.


_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 6. It belongs to Square-Enix, even if I can't believe they can keep track of all of it these days. That's a LOT of spinoffs. This fanfiction is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for violence, language, adult themes, and abuse of annoying octopi._

 **Second Chances**

 _I can't believe I'm about to die to a rat,_ Celes thought, with an exhausted fatalism that surprised her. Things had been going so well, too… they'd answered the Impresario's desperate request for help (again) and taken on the Legendary Dragon that had decided to take up residence on the Opera House's stage. It hadn't been an _easy_ battle, but the four of them were well-equipped and well-prepared, so it hadn't been too different from the things they'd been doing up to that point.

And then the Dirt Dragon had lashed out with one last Quake spell as it lay dying, shaking the building and knocking one of the giant rats out of the rafters. It had landed on Celes before she could react, claws striking home through the gaps in her armor. Locke had chopped the thing into four pieces almost immediately, but it was too late- the damage was done.

Now she was lying on the boards of the stage with Locke cradling her, as Edgar and Gau knelt beside her, spamming the strongest healing spells they knew. She could feel the bleeding start to slow, but it wasn't enough. Nothing would be, it had all happened too fast.

Looking up into Locke's white, set face, Celes abruptly found herself filled with a fiery rage, one unlike the icy anger that had always filled her before. It wasn't fair! They'd found each other, they'd _all_ found each other, together again after so much loss and loneliness. Even Edgar, with his flirtation and his loyal vassals, had been alone before this… and now they were going to be ripped apart again? Locke was going to have to watch another woman die without being able to do anything to save her?

 _NO! I won't… I won't allow it! I don't care what I have to do, I'll fix it!_ Celes thought furiously, even as cold numbness dragged at her limbs. For once, she cursed the Ice that had been infused into her veins, wished instead for just a taste of Terra's Fire. To be a Phoenix and rise from her ashes…

As if hearing her thoughts, the Phoenix Magicite she carried began to throb. Celes couldn't say how she felt it- there was no more feeling in her body, nothing left but the quickly fading sight of Locke's eyes, still locked on hers. But she felt it nevertheless, building in speed and intensity until it shattered, with an explosion of light and crystal. To her distant amusement, Celes heard Edgar let out a barely-audible oath, knocked back onto his ass by the blast.

The scene faded farther, until only the light of the shattered Magicite hung before her eyes. _It looks like a shooting star,_ she thought, barely hanging on to coherent thought. _I wonder if I get a wish?_

It was a child's fancy, but… it wasn't as if she had anything left, not even her dignity. _I wish… If I'd known… I had so much. I want it back. I want to_ go _back. I want to fix it! I want… I want it all!_

A woman's voice, familiar and strange at once, seemed to echo through her, though Celes couldn't tell if it came from somewhere in the darkness, or somewhere inside her. It was warm, and motherly, and full of something that Celes realized with shock was pride.

 _ **Done.**_

And then even the darkness spun away, and there was nothing left.

* * *

"It's a duel!"

 _Wait. What?_ Celes blinked, shaking her head just slightly, to clear the clouds away. She was in a clear space, no apparent enemies. Below were men in two colors of… livery? Yes, that was an older version of the clothes the men of Figaro and Doma wore. They were fighting, but even in her dazed state, Celes could recognize the showy moves of stage combat, rather than real battle.

Dead center, a man in armor fought with another in court finery. Their rapier work wasn't bad, she noted clinically, though they were aiming to hit each others blades rather than each other.

This all seemed familiar, somehow, though she couldn't quite…

Then a thousand pounds of tentacle, thief, king, and wild boy came crashing down from the rafters, and Celes knew exactly where she was.

Rumbles arose from the audience. Celes's magic-enhanced hearing picked up a hissed "Is that the king of _FIGARO?_ " from somewhere in the orchestra pit. From the slightly star-struck tone, it looked like Edgar had a fan. Oh, she was going to enjoy teasing him about that…

"Neither Draco nor Ralse will save Celes!" Locke declared, his over-dramatic tones drawing a wince from the Impresario. "I, Locke, the world's premier adventurer, will save her!"

Sweet heavens, his acting was horrible. If she hadn't already known she was in love with the twit, Celes knew she'd have been tipped off by the fact she found it adorable.

But… what had just happened? Celes racked her brains as Locke and Ultros exchanged insults and then blows. This was definitely the opera. She was wearing that gorgeous white dress which concealed a length of climbing line well enough, but had absolutely no space for weapons of any kind. Locke's gear was less travel-worn than she remembered, and Edgar wasn't favoring his shoulder the way he had been since they'd picked him up at Figaro Castle. He'd never explained how he'd gotten the injury; just brushed it off as something picked up while establishing his bandit persona and left it at that.

And her mind was wandering again, damn it. This was the opera house. The sets were pristine, the stage was untouched. There were no signs of the minor scars that a year of Kefka's reign had wrought on the building. Could… could she somehow have gone back in time?

 _Or more likely, has my mind finally shattered from the magic infusion, the way Kefka's did years ago?_ She was only the second prototype, after all. Perhaps infant infusion only slowed the process, rather than averting it completely. Maybe she'd hallucinated the entire thing. Or maybe she was hallucinating now.

The sound of crashing lightning drew her attention back to the battle before her, as Gau called down a truly massive bolt of electricity that made Ultros's tentacles spasm. Then heeding the call of the better part of valor, the large purple octopus galloped off stage left, with thuds, a feminine scream, and a blatantly insincere apology floating back in his wake.

Which meant-

As if on cue, Celes felt a pair of strong hands grab her around her waist, pulling her back against a narrow, but solid chest, as an amused voice echoed behind her.

"I'm a man of my word, music man!" the gambler declared. An iron arm encircled her waist, and she was yanked off her feet as they ascended into the rafters.

The next several minutes were as much of a blur this time as they had been the last, possibly more so. But soon enough, Celes found herself locked alone in the main sitting room of the Blackjack, as Setzer went to take off.

Well, at least she knew what to do next. Heading to the viewing hole in the floor, she dropped her hidden climbing line over the fence, and watched with relief has her three friends- her _friends,_ she wasn't sure she was ever going to be used to being able to say that- hauled themselves on board, as the ship took to the air.

Rising to his feet, Locke gave her a cocky grin that Celes had to forcibly refrain from kissing off him. If she wasn't crazy, he wouldn't take it well right now, and besides, with Setzer on his way back, it really, really wasn't the time for such things.

"What a performance," Locke said, right on time.

"Enough already!" Celes shot back, hoping she got the tone right. From the odd look Edgar shot her, she hadn't managed to keep all the fondness out of the exasperation, but Locke didn't seem to notice.

Then the door opened, and Setzer charged in.

Recruiting him for the second time wasn't any harder than the first, as she remembered her lines well enough, and of course, Edgar was still carrying that two-headed coin of his. Soon enough, they were heading out over the ocean, towards the false sunrise that Vector made against the night sky.

Even with the speed of the Blackjack, it would take most of the night to get to the Southern continent, so Setzer had suggested his new allies and passengers get some rest below. Edgar had claimed one of the more comfortable couches, "by royal right," and Gau had simply stretched out on the floor. Celes, on the other hand, had retired to one of the sitting rooms, as much to get away from the two-part snoring as to be alone with her thoughts. Staring out the window at the passing water, she didn't look up as the door opened and Locke walked in. She knew it was him, of course- no one else walked that silently as a matter of course. Not even Shadow, really-

Celes blinked. Wait. Should she even know about the ninja? Sabin and Cyan hadn't had the chance to mention him during the planning at Narshe, and while she knew Locke's group had run into him in Kohlingen on the search for Terra, she was pretty sure they hadn't mentioned him either. Not until a year later- a year from now- whatever, when the whole group was talking quietly on the Falcon, late at night when no one was quite ready to sleep.

But… no, she couldn't take that as evidence. It was possible Locke had dropped his name on the trip to Jidoor, she couldn't recall things that clearly. Even a mention might be enough to work into a dream, or a hallucination. She just didn't know.

"Okay, that settles it." Locke broke into her thoughts, settling down on the nearby windowsill. "Something's wrong, you've been in a Muddle since that fight with Ultros."

She gave him her best smile. "You don't think an octopus falling out of the sky is confusing?"

"I think that guy is seriously whacked, yes, but not to the point to put an experienced general in what my grandma used to call a 'brown study,'" he replied seriously. "This isn't like you."

Celes sighed, turning back to stare out at the ocean. "I'm not sure what is like me, anymore. I'm not sure of a lot of things. The process that made me a Magitek Knight… it's how they made Kefka, you know. It's why he's crazy. They thought they'd fixed it for me, but…"

A warm hand came down gently on her shoulder. "Tell me?" His tone didn't have any judgment in it, only curiosity and sympathy.

"I… Locke, I've done this before. Lived through these events. More than a year of it, in fact. At least I think I have. It might all be my mind playing tricks on me." She bit her lip, then turned back around.

"Locke? Does the name 'Rachel' mean anything to you?" The look of shock on his face showed it did, and she rushed on before she lost her nerve.

"You were looking for the Phoenix Magicite to try and bring her back, in that time I saw. And you found it, finally. She was so beautiful, and she seemed so kind..."

He swallowed, and then, hoarsely, asked "It worked, then?"

Dropping her eyes, she winced. "I- sort of. It was damaged, and it brought her back, but only… only for a few moments. She said that she loved you and she wanted you to keep living, but that she had to go. She healed the Phoenix Magicite, and I think- I think it loved you too, after that. They remember, the shards do. There's still something there."

For a long moment, he was silent, absorbing that. Then he grinned at her, eyes bright with unshed tears. "That's good to know, I guess. Means they're probably going to be able to help Terra."

"So- you believe me?"

He paused for a long moment, obviously choosing his words carefully.

"I believe you absolutely experienced what you're telling me. Do I think you actually came back in time?" He shrugged.

"I don't _disbelieve_ it. I just don't know enough about things like that to say one way or the other. It's possible that Edgar mentioned her at some point- he wouldn't tell you flat out, but he could have let something slip that you don't remember, but picked up on anyway, but…"

A deep breath. "I'm not sure it actually matters. Look, let's look at things logically."

"I wasn't sure you were acquainted with logic," Celes chuckled.

"Ha ha." Locke shot her a dour look. "You hang around Edgar long enough, you pick up some things. So, looking at this logically, which is different from rationally, as I see it, we've got three possibilities. First, that future was real and this is a hallucination, either because… well, you're dying, or because that rat hadn't washed its claws in, oh, ever. Arguments for, it doesn't require time travel, which seems impossible, and it explains the continuity and detail of your memories. Arguments against? Well, primarily, I don't think I'm a hallucination, and hallucinations aren't much for logic.

"Second, this is real and that future was a hallucination, brought on by Ultros throwing a muddle at you as he fell or something. Arguments for, that way I'm not a hallucination, and again, it doesn't require time travel. Arguments against- again, your memories of that future seem pretty consistent and ordered to be a hallucination or a dream.

"And finally, all of it was real, and somehow, in a way we don't understand, you got transported back in time from then to here. Arguing against, it seems impossible. Arguing for, it would explain the extra knowledge you seem to have, and why your memories are so detailed.

"So, conclusions? One, hallucination no longer sounds like a word to me. Two, it doesn't actually matter. If case one is true, then nothing you do here will have any effect, so you might as well treat it like it's real. If case two is true, then the things you've figured out indicate that you're good at guessing things from little to no info, so you're probably right about what you saw even if it was a dream. And if it's case three, well… then it's all true, and we need to figure out what to do about that."

Celes stared at him for a long moment. "That was remarkably insightful," she said slowly. "And you're absolutely right, it's just I-"

He nodded, pushing himself to his feet. "You want to know the truth. I can tell you right now, you're definitely not crazy the way Kefka is, but still, I'd want to know too. So, Setzer. We just met him, nobody knows him. Nobody could possibly have let anything slip. Is there anything you know about him that might work?"

"Yes!" She leapt up, suddenly energized. "Yes, that might work. Shall we go up and talk to him now?"

"Might as well. I want to get a few things hammered out before we try to explain this to Edgar and Gau anyway."

* * *

 _Why is it everything I know about people seems to be the things that hurt them?_ Celes thought, with bittersweet humor. Setzer had taken their explanation of Celes's situation and the experiment they wanted to run with his usual skin-deep amusement, but the moment she'd mentioned Daryl and the Falcon, his face had lost any animation. With the scars, the effect wasn't so much that of a mask as a weathered carving that might adorn a wall somewhere.

"The Falcon," he said softly. "Can you describe it? The layout, I mean?"

Celes took a deep breath, closing her eyes to remember better. "Going down from the deck, there was an upper walkway, surrounding a large gathering room. The ladder down to the engine room was there, towards the bow of the ship. Off that upper walkway was a small sitting room which was probably a parlor- none of us spent much time in there, it seemed haunted by old memories." Before she could say more, Setzer waved her to silence.

"It was Daryl's private room on the ship. No one could have told you about that, I don't think… especially as I'm fairly sure no one knew where Daryl's tomb was located except for me. Vision or experience, that future you saw seems to have given you true knowledge."

Celes felt the tension leaving her shoulders, even as Locke put a hand to the small of her back in support. " _Thank_ you. But in that case… why? If I came back in time, why now? Why not to the Battle of Narshe, or before Kefka poisoned Doma, or- or-"

"There may be no reason," Setzer cut her off. "Or at least, no _meaning_. Dice fall as they do for a hundred competing reasons, from the way they're thrown, to the surface they land upon, to the way they're made. But the only meaning to the numbers they show is the meaning humans ascribe to them, and even those may change depending on the game. If there's any reason at all, it's likely to be as simple as the fact that you started in the opera house, and so you returned there, like a ball on a roulette wheel."

Turning away, he stared forward at the clouds, hand still absently on the tiller. "There is no ultimate cause," he continued. "No place where we can say, 'things went wrong _here._ ' The Empire grew from one man's greed, but its seeds were planted from the War of the Magi. The war grew from its own seeds. Men, and Espers, from what you've said, have always made mistakes. We win, we lose, and sooner or later, everyone has to leave the game. There will always be loss and sorrow, but… we win sometimes too, and that makes it worth the ante."

"There's no such thing as 'happily ever after,'" Locke threw in quietly, "but that doesn't mean that 'happy' isn't enough."

Celes took a deep breath. "Right. I've got a chance to fix the biggest loss. So let's see what we can do for that."

* * *

Edgar took their news "surprisingly well," by which Locke meant that he only went on a two minute tirade, and only used three words they had to explain to Gau weren't suitable for use in polite company. Or any company, really. Finally calming down, he shot the other three adults a look.

"All right then. Do we have a plan to make use of this information? Or are we winging it with our customary panache?"

Celes took a deep breath. "I have a plan. Well, a small one. Right now, I'm only looking ahead so far as the Magitek Factory, too much might change from there. So… first off, the Magicite we have. Edgar, do you know how to weld?"

He blinked at her for a second, obviously trying to connect the two concepts, then shrugged. "Yes, of course. Half of Figaro Castle is welded together in one fashion or another."

"Specifically, can you do arc welding?"

"… That is audacious, my lady. Yes, I can. I'm to take Ramuh's magicite, then?"  
She nodded. "Yes. I'm going to take Siren. We'll practice on our way to Vector. Time isn't unlimited, but we can spare a little." She sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't see a way to get through there undetected, and we do have to go. Besides helping Terra, sooner or later, one of those Espers they're draining _will_ die before getting dumped into that little pit. If that happens, and they give the resulting Magicite to Cid..."

"Then they'll figure out how actual magic works and we won't have had the chance to cut into their supplies," Locke finished.

"Exactly. So I'm not sure we can stop them from finding out about Magicite, but if we can stop Kefka from catching up to us in the draining room, we can possibly mitigate things."

"I'll be waiting nearby," Setzer threw in. "I'm sure that regardless, you're going to need a quick escape."

Edgar snorted. "We do tend to leave parties fashionably early, yes." Hefting his pack, he turned to Gau, who'd been listening to the planning session with intent. "Well, shall we go?"

Gau bounced, grinning. "Yeah! Me want to hear more about how games work!"

Under the combined gazes of Locke and Celes, Edgar shifted a little. "We were in a casino," he offered defensively. "He was curious. I was just trying to expand his knowledge of the world."

"Me know how to play Maranda Hold 'Em!"

"… I swear he knew that one before we started."

* * *

"I hate to say it," Locke commented, "but this seems weirdly easy."

Edgar stared at him. "I'm sorry, did I imagine the several walking tanks I just electrocuted?"

The th- er, treasure hunter rolled his eyes. "There aren't any alarms. Still. We've fought how many soldiers and guard dogs, and not one of them managed to pull an alert switch? You've got a klaxon in the castle to announce dive mode, and this place makes your stuff look like kids playing with sticks. Why haven't we triggered an alarm yet?"

Celes made a face. At least Locke had brought his concerns up this time, rather than sitting on them until Cid and Kefka had planted the possibility of her being a spy. "It's because we're in Vector," she informed them both, as they climbed onto a conveyor belt. "We're at the center of a continent the Empire owns, where no ships can run, in a city that's constantly patrolled and garrisoned by soldiers, in a facility that's guarded day and night. And General Leo is constantly being sent to direct the war effort. In the minds of everyone left, this fortress is impenetrable, so why bother? Nobody is going to notice until the next patrol comes to take over."

"Sloppy," Edgar commented.

Locke nodded. "Yeah, okay. I've seen that with some rich merchant houses I've… er, visited. They're so sure they've got the best security on the outside that they don't bother with backups."

As the conveyor belt deposited them in the next room, the faint sounds of speech ahead had them hiding behind a stand of crates. Sure enough, Kefka came into view, haranguing the nearly-dead bodies of Shiva and Ifrit as he manhandled them into the disposal pit, and ranting to himself about his plans for the statues. Celes rested a hand on the hilt of her sword. It would be easy. There was no one around to hear-

Edgar touched her shoulder gently, and as she looked at him, he shook his head. She sighed. He was right; Kefka was like an extremely powerful cockroach. She had to strike with overwhelming power and the element of surprise, and right now, she simply didn't have either of those. So she waited, gritting her teeth as the man strode away, laughing madly as always. Only when she was certain the coast was clear did they move out of their shelter, heading for the disposal pit.

Celes had honestly hoped to avert the battle with Ifrit and Shiva this time around, but the two Espers were too exhausted and pain-maddened to listen to any human. Still, it was hard to fight against two beings she'd come to half-know through the ghosts left in their Magicite. Only the grim knowledge that this was basically the mercy-kill the two Espers had been hoping for let her continue. Finally, it was done, and Locke gave her a quick, concerned look as he scooped the two pieces of Magicite up off the floor.

"I'm fine. It's just-"

"No smell like pain now," Gau said softly, tugging at her sleeve.

She smiled down at him. "Thank you, Gau. That does help." A deep breath. "Let's get moving. It's not far now. Of course, there is a guard, but… Gau? How are you doing with Imp?"

The boy grinned at her. "Me know it!"

"Good. When we come to the lab, cast it on the guard. I'll hit him with Sleep, and then we'll just hit him until he stops moving." She grimaced. "He'd probably thank us for it."

Why hadn't she ever seen it? Well, because Cid was the only member of the Empire's science division she'd ever interacted with. And while Cid had a fairly good grasp of ethics, once he could be convinced he was dealing with people, some of his subordinates were less so. And it's not as though the cyborgs were let out. In fact, she was pretty certain that her encounter with 024 the first time around had been the first time she'd ever seen one.

"That bad?" Edgar said quietly, falling into place beside her. It was odd, Celes mused. Somewhere along the way, the king of Figaro had decided she needed an older brother, a position he was eminently suited for. Sabin had simply shrugged and started calling her "sis," at which point she'd given up arguing about it. This version of Edgar didn't remember that, but somehow had gravitated to the same position nonetheless. Possibly it was seeing how she felt about Locke- the two of them had been close friends for a very long time.

Recalling he'd asked her a question, Celes shook her head. "It's- have you ever been cleaning out a pack after a long campaign, and every time you think you've finally gotten down to the last level, you find one more layer of shirts? Every time I think I've seen, I've understood how evil the Empire is, how far it can stoop, I find something even lower than that."

"Mm. I met an old wise woman once- lived up in the mountains, between the castle and South Figaro. She'd come to see if she could help my father during his last… illness. Amazing woman, and I was only a nipper, so I was on my best behavior."

"You mean you didn't hit on her."

"I honestly believe she could have turned me into a toad without breaking a sweat. But she said something to me that I've remembered all these years. That something any king had to remember was that evil, real evil… it's treating people as things. Just… things, to be weighed, measured, and moved around at will. I've never forgotten that."

Celes smiled softly. "It's one of the reasons you're such a good king."

He turned to her, surprised. "Do you think so?"

"I know so. And I'm pretty sure your father would be proud."

Edgar gave her a boyish grin, far more charming and effective than any of his usual flirtations, not that she'd ever tell him that.

"Thank you, my lady. Whoever your parents were… I believe they'd be proud of you, too."

* * *

024 didn't last any longer this time than the last, and before opening the door, Celes paused to look at the other three. "Everyone know what to do?" Three nods, and she took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

The four of them dashed inside, moving straight to the plan. Edgar, having mastered Bolt, was using a tiny controlled lightning bolt to seal the door shut, with Gau standing by, watching his back in case of unforeseen guests. Locke moved to the control panel and had started the shutdown on the tubes. Celes, meanwhile, took up her station by the lift that lead up into the lab from the levels below.

Once again, they were too late to save any of the drained Espers, who transformed into Magicite as they watched. Edgar and Gau left the now-sealed door and joined Locke in gathering the shards of Magicite. They were running faster than last time, Celes noted, which was a good sign. Which meant-

Right on cue, Cid came bustling into the room from his own workspace, alerted by the shutdown of the machines. Seeing Celes, he slowed to a halt, but before he could say anything, she hit him with a Sleep spell, sending him crumpling to the ground. She scooped him up over one shoulder, giving thanks for his short frame and her magically-enhanced strength.

"That's everything, let's go!" she barked, and the other three joined her on the lift, as the door shook under the impact of Magitek armor. Edgar's weld was solid, though. She was fairly sure it would hold long enough. She hoped, anyway.

The ride down on the lift seemed endless, though it only took a few seconds. Even before it slowed to a stop, Celes was heading for the transport cart, the other three on her heels. Slinging Cid in, she leaped for it. Edgar and Locke were right on her heels, and Gau caught up with a leap and a wild whoop.

"Is that it?" Locke asked, looking back over his shoulder.

Celes shook her head. "There's still the Mag Roaders! Luckily, even Kefka isn't crazy enough to follow us in here."

"You take me such interesting places," he griped, readying a knife in one hand, and a boomerang in the other.

"Well, I'd hate to be a boring date," she replied, and had the pleasure of seeing his eyes go wide. Then the first set of Mag Roaders pounced, and things got a bit too involved to talk.

* * *

Celes had to admit, a running battle with Mag Roaders, an enraged cyborg, and then Kefka's use of the manufacturing cranes was a lot more _fun_ than teleporting them both into the middle of the throne room, and then spending two days under house arrest while Emperor Gestahl "considered her perspective." At the time, she'd thought his blanket pardon and releasing her under General Leo's supervision had meant that he'd finally understood the magnitude of what he was doing. Now, of course, she realized he'd just been keeping one more piece on the board, one which could get him the cooperation of the Returners if played correctly.

Now the problem was, she'd changed things. Quite a bit. She'd taken Cid with her, which would hopefully slow down the Empire's understanding of Magicite and how it worked, even if Kefka had realized it was the key. Last time, she didn't really think Cid had ever quite understood that Espers were people, rather than simply very powerful animals. Not before that year alone on the island, at least.

Quickly, she wrenched her thoughts away from that. It wasn't going to happen again, watching the old man who'd sacrificed his life and health for her fade away. He'd always been kind to her, supporting her through her training. Even before the island, he'd been the closest thing she'd had to family, before the Returners came along. If she could make him see, make him understand… no one knew Magitek as well as he did. Combined with Edgar's people in Figaro, he might be able to give the Returners an edge that wouldn't need the Espers at all.

But she couldn't rely on that. So, how would this change the Emperor's handling of things? He'd be angry about Cid, of course. The scientist was high enough in the hierarchy that the Emperor would know he was gone. That would halt innovation, but the weapons already designed would continue production, and the Emperor would likely consider them enough power to continue his advance. So… aside from possibly targeting the Returners more fully, he wouldn't change his strategy much. He'd still be hoping to make the group desperate enough to go for the Sealed Gate, but committing more manpower to Narshe was unlikely, not after the rout Kefka and his men had suffered before. Figaro Castle was mobile, which made attacking it out, South Figaro was already occupied, and Jidoor was too rich to risk making a bad enemy just yet. Nobody would give a damn about Zozo. Mobliz was too remote. No, he'd go for Narshe, but only when he was confident he could crush it. Instead, he'd let the trap close slowly around his enemies, and let that spur them into an action he could direct.

So. What to do? If Cid could change the course of the war, wonderful, that would wrong-foot Gestahl enough that he couldn't make things conform to an already established plan. But she couldn't plan for that either, until she knew what resources that would bring, so table that for now. So. Assume they'd still need the help of the Espers. Gestahl would still have Kefka follow them through the cave, it was the only way to get the gate open. Would Gestahl expect her to expect the ambush? Probably not. Even with her "treachery," he'd spent years building the image of himself as an honorable statesman, and letting Kefka take the fall for all his crimes. Kefka'd enjoyed doing them, and had never really cared about his reputation, so it had worked well, until Kefka had decided the old man was holding him back. The Emperor had always thought he was the smartest person in the room, so he'd assume he still had Celes fooled, just as Leo was. If she hadn't seen his treachery first-hand, she admitted, she still would be.

So. Go along and ambush the ambushers. Prepare Terra better for what would happen when the gate was cracked. And… And then…

The door to the sitting room creaked open, and Celes looked up in time to see Terra peeking in.

"Um. I hope I'm not disturbing you?" the other girl said, a bit timidly. A talk with the Magicite her father had left behind, and the return of her memories, had restored most of Terra's equilibrium, but she was still feeling her way in a few cases, especially with people she hadn't had much time with. And Celes had been so preoccupied since her return, that made it harder, too.

"Not at all," Celes replied welcomingly. "Please, have a seat." Once Terra did so, Celes shifted a bit.

"So, how are you feeling?" Celes asked. "I know you've had a lot to take in, and in a very short period of time, too."

Terra laughed a little. "That's one way of putting it. I… I feel like all sorts of things just got dumped into my head, and I'm going through them and sorting them, a bit at a time. I'm half-Esper, and I didn't even think that was possible. Though I guess I'm proof that it is."

"Yes. Espers and people aren't so different. To be very honest, I'd be surprised if you were the only half-Esper ever, but… well, after the War of the Magi, I'm sure any records were lost, if there ever were any."

"And now it's all going to happen again, isn't it? Magic, humans, Espers, war… Can we even stop it?"

Celes came to a decision. "Yes, we can. Terra… there's something I need to tell you about. I was planning to tell everyone very soon, and Locke, Edgar, Setzer, and Gau already know. But I should tell you, too, and there'll never be a better time. I've come back in time, from a future where… we did stop it. But we failed to stop something much worse. I've already changed the course of things a little. Last time, I wasn't here when you woke up. But I'm going to need your help if we're going to change things for the best."

Terra stared at her for a moment. "I… that sounds utterly insane. But then, so does my entire life, honestly, so… I guess I believe it. Tell me what you need."

"Well, first of all, I really only want to tell this story once. Is everybody here?"

"Yes. Your friend, Cid, I think? Is up on deck with Setzer, checking out the ship's controls, though."

"Even better. Setzer's already heard this story, and I don't think Cid should, just yet. If you can get everyone gathered in the casino, I'll explain it to you, Cyan, and Sabin, and we can start to decide exactly how to handle this.

Terra rose to her feet. "All right. And Celes… I'm glad you came back this time."

* * *

It went well. Sabin had just shrugged; apparently visions of the future weren't unknown among high-level martial artists. After she'd told him about Duncan, he'd sworn for a bit, and then allowed as how if Vargas had tried to kill him, he might have laid low for a while and recovered too.

Cyan had listened to the entire story without moving a muscle, but when she'd finished, he'd simply nodded quietly. "You're not the same," he explained, seeing her look of confusion. "Your stance, your posture, your gestures as you talk. These things don't change quickly, and only the most gifted of spies and actors can fake it perfectly."

A wry smile twisted his lips. "And I'm afraid your acting just isn't that good."

"But I have a lovely singing voice," Celes replied lightly. Cyan and Sabin exchanged another set of glances, and Celes was reminded once again that she'd grown a lot more comfortable with them than they had with her. Neither one seemed offended, though, so she was going to count that one as a win.

Locke leaned against a table. "Okay, so if we're all agreed that this is basically fact, that brings up the question of what do we do about it?"

"Celes," Cyan asked, "why did you bring along the scientist? … Cid, you said?"

"Several reasons. He's the driving mind and force behind a lot of the Empire's gear, so bringing him along means they can't hit us with anything new. In that other timeline, he was sympathetic to our cause, so I hope he'll help us, possibly with ways to deal with Magitek. And besides… I knocked him out so he wouldn't slow us down, but then I couldn't leave him to Kefka's tender mercies. He wasn't an actual threat, just an obstacle. I had a responsibility to him."

That got several nods all around, and Cyan seemed to look at her with new respect.

"Regardless, I submit that whatever we do, we don't tell Banon about Celes's experience," Edgar threw in.

"Agreed," Locke said immediately. Noticing the startled stares from the rest of the team, he spread his hands.

"He wants to stop the Empire, and he'll use anyone and anything to do it. Difference is, he's honest about it. But that doesn't mean he won't use manipulation, too. If he didn't believe us, he could do a lot of damage. If he did, he could do even more."

Sabin shifted. "You're the tech genius, big brother. You think there's anything you and Cid could work up?"

"Not in time," Edgar replied. "The Emperor will be pressing his advantage, even or especially if he wants to force us to take one specific action. No, we'll bring it up at the meeting, but I seriously doubt that we can rely on aid from that quarter. Still, ensconcing Cid in the machine shops at Figaro Castle will keep him out of trouble and out of danger, so I suggest we do that anyway."

Terra sighed. "So we have to head for the Sealed Gate anyway?"

"I think that's our only choice," Celes agreed. "The Esper attack dealt a serious blow to the Empire. Our mistake last time was in believing that would be enough, because we thought Gestahl was a reasonable man. He's not."

"So what do we do about him?" Cyan asked.

"Break the Empire's military power entirely. The Esper attack takes the fight out of three quarters of the Army, and forces Gestahl to delay and regroup. At that point, he no longer has the overwhelming might. With Cid arming the Returners and the soldiers in Figaro, he'll have to abandon South Figaro, he won't have the manpower to hold it and control the south. At that point, he'll have to focus completely on defense. It won't be perfect, but with the Sealed Gate blocked by that rockfall, he won't have much choice except to try to hold onto his current power."

She saw Edgar narrow his eyes at her words, but he remained silent, simply folding his arms.

"How can you be so sure there'll still be a rockfall this time around? Seems like somethin' like that's easy to change without meaning to," Sabin pointed out.

"Oh, there'll be a rockfall all right," a new voice cut in. All of them looked to see Cid, descending the ladder from the deck above.

"Forgive me for eavesdropping, but those stairwells carry noise quite well," the scientist explained. "I lurked by the hatch until your pilot- Setzer?- was distracted by a tricky bit of turbulence and then slipped below. I'm not sure he's even realized I'm gone yet." Picking his way across the casino floor, he came to stand next to Celes's chair, regarding her thoughtfully.

"Cid..." She trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

He smiled. "My dear girl, I'm quite proud of you. And perhaps a little ashamed of how easily I let myself be distracted by the science of the things I was doing, and let myself be distracted from the practical use of them. I'm fascinated by what I heard about time travel, and I'd certainly be interested in whatever you'd tell me about it, but that can wait. Small explosive charges are easy enough, and I'm quite certain his young majesty over there would be able to set them with minimal instructions from me. As for re-engineering technology, well..."

"Just how long _were_ you listening?" Locke asked, incredulously.

"Long enough, young man. I suspect I'll want to have a talk with _you_ later, especially." The elderly scientist bent a surprisingly forbidding look at the adventurer, and Celes blushed. Just how obvious was she, anyway?

"But you're right, anything I could come up with for you would take far too long to produce in any numbers, especially as Magitek is completely out of the question. Still, if it comes down to a long standoff, I might be more useful in analysis. And I believe from what I saw before I came down that we're on approach to Narshe, so perhaps we should table this for now?"

Edgar nodded. "Right. If you don't mind, I'll take the lead in the negotiations. Terra, Banon is going to lean on you. Even though we've already decided, act a little reluctant. He needs to think he's sprung it on us, and being too eager would seem odd, given your history."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. That won't be hard, I still am a little reluctant. This is all pretty scary, you know."

"Yeah," Celes replied sadly. "I know."

* * *

"Okay, this is getting to be a habit. Are you going to go brood every time we get into an airship?" Locke asked, crossing to stand beside Celes at the window.

"Maybe. I just can't help thinking. The Esper attack dealt a huge blow to the Empire, but it killed so many innocent people. It made the Espers responsible for their deaths, even though they never wanted to be. Is it right to do this, knowing what's going to happen?"

"But you don't know that," Locke replied. "Look, you've made preparations. You have Terra flaring her aura to hopefully get the attention of the Espers before they wreak havoc. If that doesn't work, several of the Returner sympathizers will be in position to start a civilian evacuation at the first sign of trouble. At this point, it's no more than a possibility, and one you've prepared for. The alternative is to do nothing, while the Empire continues to produce its war machines, and while it presses its advance. If that happens, innocent people will die, a lot of them, and a lot more will suffer, because the Empire- because _Gestahl_ isn't going to stop until he rules the entire world, one way or another. We've seen what he made of the southern continent. I don't want to see what he'll do to the rest of the world."

Celes sighed. "You're right, I guess."

"Of course I'm right."

She elbowed him gently in the ribs, and he let out an exaggerated "oof." Then he sobered.

"Celes… there's something I've been wondering about. It's never been a good time to ask, but… you and me. In that future, were we..."

Turning, she took his hands. "Sort of. You were still dealing with what happened to Rachel, and I was dealing with the fact that I've never had any kind of non-military relationship with another human being ever, with the possible exception of Cid. We were all of us pretty messed up, after all. So… we were trying, I guess you could say, but neither of us wanted to put a name to it until it was all done. Just in case."

Locke snorted. "Did it work?"

"Well, I got killed by a falling rat, so I can't really say."

He stared at her for a moment, and then began to laugh. Soon enough, she was laughing too, each building off the other until they were leaning on each other, laughing too hard to stand up straight. As their laughter died away, Celes realized her arms were around Locke's waist and her face was pressed against his shoulder, while one of his hands rested on her back and the other was cradling the back of her head. It was… nice, she thought. Warm.

"Celes?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we try in this timeline too? I don't want to wait."

Looking up at him, she smiled. "I don't either."

She'd never really understood kissing, before, Celes thought. Oh, she'd heard the women on the palace staff gossip about it, and she'd seen soldiers kiss their girlfriends goodbye before shipping out. (And in one or two instances, their boyfriends. The Emperor wouldn't have approved, but Celes hadn't seen the sense in caring.) It just looked awkward, pressing lips together, or occasionally slipping tongues into places they generally hadn't been designed to be. But as nobody'd ever given her the kind of fluttery feelings the staff women seemed to think went along with the act, she'd never given it much thought.

She thought she was beginning to understand, now. It wasn't much, just the press of Locke's lips to hers, incredibly brief, but still, it felt like there were lightning bolts in the pit of her stomach. His hands were warm on her waist. If she had to come up with a description for how she was feeling, it would be "content."

They stayed that way, arms wrapped around each other, until Sabin came by to tell them that the airship was landing. At least he remembered to knock, for once.

* * *

"The Emperor was right!" Kefka's delighted tones rang off the rock walls of the cavern. "Let Terra fall into your hands, and you'd open the gate for us!"

 _Yes, you maneuvered us pretty neatly,_ Celes admitted, if only to herself. _But you're not the only ones playing a game this time, and I've had a lot more opportunity to set up my pieces._

Well, that was a slightly arrogant way of putting it, and that wasn't really what she meant. A little extra "vigilance" on their part had forced Kefka and his crew to hang back father than they'd done the last time, which had bought them roughly twenty minutes. Twenty minutes which Edgar had put to excellent use, using his brother as a complaining stepstool to plant the explosive charges Cid had concocted. Now tucked into crevices above the gate, they were almost invisible, unless you knew exactly where to look.

"How does it feel to know you've been working for us?!" Kefka continued, mockingly.

In response, their newest member made a gesture that should have been impossible with a Moogle's tiny paws.

"How… eloquent. But I'm afraid you've outlived your… usefulness..." Gestahl's left hand man trailed off, beginning to frown. "Wait a minute. Where's that traitor, Celes?"

 _Shit!_ From her position in an alcove above the cavern's entrance, Celes raced through the last bits of her incantation, sending a Bolt 2 spearing out at her target. As soon as the lightning bolt launched, she was following behind it, sword drawn. Despite her speed, however, Kefka managed to get a shield up, deflecting the electricity away and meeting her blade with his own. The way his sword briefly faltered under the clash, though, told her that he the deflection had taken something out of him.

" _There_ you are," Kefka sneered. "Attacking from behind? How delightfully dishonorable! I'm so pleased to see you stepping down to meet the rest of us… though I rather doubt Leo will feel the same."

"Cockroaches have no claim to honorable battle," Celes returned, tightening her grip on her sword. "You just stomp them and wipe the mess of your boot."

The widening of his eyes told her the insult had hit home, though his sword work didn't falter. "A cockroach, am I? How dare you, you insolent weakling fool! I'll burn you to a cinder!"

Celes easily blocked the fireball he tossed at her face, absorbing the energy almost negligently. She wasn't honestly that worried. All she had to do was keep Kefka busy enough to not interfere as Terra opened the gate. His goon squad were already neutralized, thanks to Gau busting out something he'd learned from the Trilliums on the Veldt. Some sort of weak poison gas, it hadn't killed them, but she suspected they wished it had.

Even if Kefka defeated or killed her, which wasn't very likely, there was no chance he'd get past the six others who were surrounding them in a loose ring.

"I'll destroy all of you!" he raved, sword strokes becoming a bit wilder. "I'll bring your broken bodies to the Emperor and build a wall out of them so the whole world can see the price of defying us!"

A bolt of lightning went spearing out from his left hand towards the onlookers, but Celes's Runic drew it in like a lightning rod, leaving no trace. Spinning her sword in one hand, she gave Kefka a cocky smile that she didn't particularly feel. Honestly, what she felt most was a sort of exhausted pity- but there was no good letting that show. Behind him, she could see the Sealed Gate beginning to crack open at Terra's behest, and she took a deep breath.

"Kefka?" She lowered her sword slightly, causing him to draw back with a hint of wariness. "You always did talk too much."

Then the gates swung open all the way, and the very wind began to scream.

* * *

It hadn't been enough.

Oh, at least Edgar'd known to keep the airship low this time, as they hurtled towards Vector. That meant they'd been able to make an actual landing outside the burning city rather than crashing down near Maranda. But Terra hadn't been able to catch the attention of the Espers as they rushed out, the force of their passing blasting everyone away. She'd lost sight of Kefka, but she knew him well enough to know that he'd head back to Vector and the Emperor. The bastard wasn't loyal, per se, but the Emperor provided him with everything he needed and all the opportunities to inflict the destruction he craved, so Kefka would want to go back there to regroup. And his mind hadn't truly snapped until Celes had stabbed him, bringing home that he too was mortal, and by his own lights, meaningless. As long as he was still slightly rational, he'd let Gestahl direct him, which was to the good.

Once they'd made landfall, Setzer'd headed to the engine room. Their landing might not have been a _crash,_ but the turbulence and the rather rapid nature of their setdown meant that it hadn't exactly been easy on the Blackjack either. If they were going to need another rapid exodus, it would be best to have the ship up and running as soon as possible. Mog had joined him, pointing out that even carrying a pike twice his own length, he was just too cute to be taken seriously outside of actual battle.

The rest of them had split into three groups to head into the city, just in case things had changed enough that the Emperor would try to have them arrested or killed on sight. Edgar'd grabbed Locke and headed for the main, southern approach, stating that the two of them were most likely to be accepted as a diplomatic envoy, not being undressed (Gau,) unshaven (Sabin,) or unable to refrain from snarling at the mention of the Emperor (Cyan.) That trio, on the other hand, was sneaking in through the manufacturing ports to the east, along the railway tracks. Which left Celes and Terra to come in last, being the two the Emperor would most likely want to acquire, but also most likely respect.

As they approached the western entrance to the city, Terra frowned.

"That's… odd. The gates are open. Didn't Locke say this place was usually a fortress?"

Celes blinked. "Yes, they're usually shut. And if the Espers had blown them open, they should be broken. They're not. But… they've definitely _been_ here." She indicated the damage to the walls and roofs here and there in the city.

"That would be my doing, actually," an embarrassed voice announced from a nearby alley. Turning, Celes saw a dark-haired man dressed in the rough clothes favored by those of Narshe. She'd seen him before, with the Returners…

"Arvis!" Terra exclaimed. "What do you mean, your doing?"

Ah, right, Arvis, the man who had rescued Terra back when all this had first started. He looked tired and a bit sooty, but strangely satisfied.

"Your pilot friend, Setzer, had some sort of flare thing he shot off. Soon as we saw it, we started evacuating the civilians. Luckily someone had stockpiled a bunch of Imperial officer gear for us, so nobody questioned us." He shook his head. "Soldiers don't change, it seems. As long as you wear brass and shout orders, they'll do what you say."

"The rank and file don't get paid to think, so they usually don't bother," Celes replied tiredly. "Or at least, they don't let anyone know if they do. Usually it lets them shift the blame up the command chain where it belongs. At least if Leo or I are involved."

She shook her head. "Never mind that. What're the casualties?"

"Among civilians? Minimal, mostly rich officials who weren't going to listen to anybody until the attacks actually hit. Military? Who can say? The destruction's mostly concentrated on the Palace and the Magitek Factory, though."

"They could probably still hear the screams," Terra said quietly. Celes squeezed her shoulder.

Arvis sighed. "Anyway, Banon's up at the palace. Apparently the Emperor is requesting our presence for a peace conference. That young rascal who claims to be a king headed up there as well, so you'd probably follow along."

Nodding, Celes took one last look around. Here and there, she could see signs of an orderly exodus. They'd had warning this time, at least. Maybe it had been enough after all.

* * *

They caught up with Edgar just outside the gates of the palace, apparently having a ferocious argument with Banon, if the waving arms, tense posture, and hushed but intense voice were anything to go by. Deciding she wasn't going to get caught up in that if at all possible, Celes instead grabbed Terra's hand and headed for where the other four members of their group were leaning against the palace's exterior wall, watching the argument as if it were some sort of sport. Seeing them approach, Sabin scooted over to make some room between himself and Locke.

"What's all that about?" Celes asked, indicating where Edgar was actually starting to loom over his conversation partner. Given his usual preference for the charm offensive, it was easy to forget that Edgar was actually a physically imposing man- assuming he wasn't coming at you with a giant drill, that was.

Locke shrugged. "Banon wants to be at the peace talks. Edgar put his foot down flat. I don't think Banon's actually going to win this one, for once."

A blink from Terra. "Why not? I mean, why would Edgar not want him there?"

Cyan ran a hand over his mustache. "Two reasons. One, Banon is the center of the Returners, but mostly through force of personality. He's a leader, but he's not necessarily a good commander, if you understand the difference. And he's definitely not a negotiator. Two, tying back into one, he's the center of the Returners. If he's hurt or killed, the organization is likely to shatter, not form up under another's lead. And he's in no physical condition to fight. He'd basically be a liability, not an asset."

That made sense to Celes. And of course Cyan, who had been a close servant and confidante to his king, would understand the difference. Still, she wondered…

"Why do you think Edgar's going to win this one?"

It was Sabin who answered this time, folding massive arms across his chest as he leaned back into the stone. "Because this time it matters. Edgar's always let people think they were pushing him around, and then let 'em slam into a steel wall when he put on the brakes." A fleeting smile touched his face. "Dad thought it was hilarious."

Celes looked back at the arguing pair. Banon seemed to have shrunk in on himself, and was nodding tiredly, and Edgar wasn't waving his arms anymore. That was probably a good sign. She hoped. Finally, with a curt nod, Edgar turned on his heel and stalked back towards them. She got the feeling he wasn't particularly pleased, but he didn't seem angry.

"The old fool is off to find Arvis and regroup at the airship," Edgar informed them in clipped tones. "At least I hope he is, but at this point, I'm not sure I care."

"That bad?" Locke asked, head tilted.

Closing his eyes, the king of Figaro took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "I respect the man. He's driven and willing to sacrifice for his beliefs. That's part of the problem, as it's not just himself he's willing to sacrifice. And while a commander must be prepared to let his people make sacrifices for him, there is a line between that and treating people as pawns. I'm afraid he's dangerously close to that."

Edgar shook his head as if to clear it. "Right, enough of that. Strategy time. I'm the highest ranked, and the only one here with diplomatic training. Or in fact, any sense of diplomacy whatsoever."

For a second, Celes thought about taking offense at that, then decided it was too accurate to do so.

"So, there's seven of us. I'll lead the way in, the rest of you form two lines trailing me. On my left side should be Celes, then Terra, then Locke. Right side is Sabin, Cyan, and then Gau. We'll walk in like a formation. After any formal greetings, we can break up a bit, but no one should be more than ten paces away from someone else, and I want Celes and Sabin to stay close to me the whole time."

That got a raised eyebrow from Locke. "Do I dare ask why?"

Edgar's grin was pure mischief. "Because the royal siblings of Figaro should present a united front, of course."

The only one of them who didn't immediately exclaim "WHAT?" was Gau, who simply made an interrogative noise.

"She's a tall, blue-eyed blonde with unusually pale skin and no family of record. I'm right in remembering you said there was no paperwork on who your parents were?"

"Yes, that's right," Celes replied. "I'm listed as a foundling. I'm not entirely sure it's true, but that's what the papers say."

"Well, there you go. Obviously, you're our long-lost half-sister, the resemblance is obvious."

Terra gave Edgar a sideways look. "Could you actually have a half-sister?"

"Highly unlikely, our father was faithful his entire life, even after our mother's death. But she did die when we were young, he was a very handsome man, and the occasional indiscretion abroad is often the privilege of kings. More importantly, it gives Celes some political protection, and Gestahl can't disprove it without opening himself up to some much more unpleasant consequences, which he'll be reluctant to do while he's still pretending to be chastened. If that's settled, shall we go?"

Still trying to process, Celes fell into step behind Edgar. As they passed through the palace gate, Sabin tapped his fist gently against her shoulder.

"Welcome to the family, sis," he grinned. Celes blushed.

* * *

The guard sent to escort and announce them to the Emperor deserved a raise. Possibly a promotion. He'd quite obviously recognized her, but he hadn't even blinked, and had gotten through proclaiming her "Celes, princess of Figaro," without missing a beat. The look on the Emperor's face had been priceless.

It was harder to stop herself from reacting when she saw who was standing at the Emperor's right. From what she'd been told by Locke and Edgar, last time around, it had been Cid who'd stood there, having prevailed upon Gestahl to see sense, and bring an end to the war. Or at least he'd thought he had. But Cid was safely ensconced in Figaro Castle, happily helping improve the air circulation system. Instead, standing as advisor and guard to the Emperor was General Leo, who gave them all a respectful nod, though she'd seen his lips quirk a bit at her new title.

"I've lost my will to fight," Gestahl announced, voice quavering the slightest bit. Despite herself, Celes almost felt sorry for him. If she hadn't known what a power-hungry fool he was, she still might.

"The Espers mounted an assault on the Magitek facility," Leo informed them. "I can only surmise they were attempting to save their friends. When they realized there was no one left to save… they went berserk. A great deal of the city was damaged, though civilian loss of life was minimal, thanks to a well-timed evacuation."

His eyes met hers for a second, and Celes did her best to keep her expression blank.

"The Empire's military is demobilizing," Leo continued. "We lost… far too many officers, and too many good men."

Now that was an interesting way of phrasing things. Celes wondered if Leo'd begun to see the rot in the ranks that she had.

Gehstal hung his head. "The power of those Espers... I had no idea. They'll shred the world! We must get them to understand that we are no longer at war."

Edgar raised an eyebrow. "And are we then at peace, your majesty?"

"A truce, at the very least," Gestahl replied, his eyes glittering a bit at the deviation from the script he so obviously had in his head. Celes managed to hold back a snort. If he'd expected Edgar to be silent either from politesse or intimidation, he clearly hadn't been reading his intelligence briefings.

"True peace will be something we must build together," he continued. "But for now, my friends, let us feast and rejoice."

Leo stepped forward. "Some of our men are still… reluctant to embrace peace. While they will, of course, obey orders, resentment might still fester. If you'd perhaps accompany me to speak with some of them, we might be able to change their outlook. We've some time before dinner. Would you mind?"

"Not at all," Edgar replied, checking with the others quickly. The group followed Leo out of the receiving room as Gestahl headed off to prepare for the banquet.

"Why do you want 'em to talk to us, though?" Sabin asked, falling in between Leo and Edgar. Celes kept her position on Edgar's left, while the other four followed a pace or two behind in a loose formation, close enough that Leo would sense their presence, but not so close as to crowd or surround him.

Lips twisted in something that mostly qualified as a smile, Leo's reply was dryer than the Figaro desert. "Because you ARE the opposing army. Best case scenario, they'll really understand that you're people, not monsters or faceless shadows to be conquered for the glory of the Empire."

"And the worst case scenario?" Terra wanted to know.

"The worst case scenario is that they'll realize that every time we've been defeated in battle, it's been by four of you at most. If they understand that four of you can take out a platoon without breaking a sweat, carrying on the war alone may not seem so attractive."

The talks were mostly peaceful, though Gau did get into what looked like a mostly friendly spar with an entire group of Special Forces troopers, and Sabin did have to demonstrate his suplex on a Magitek Armor. He was, however, kind enough to remove the pilot from it first. The rest of the soldiers seemed quite ready to embrace the benefits of peace after that.

"You're not laughing at them, are you?" Celes asked quietly.

Leo shot her a sideways glance. "Perish the thought. I'd say it does them good to understand that weapons aren't a substitute for skill, or for a dream."

She blinked. "Dream?"

"A person, a kingdom, a principle. A man, or woman, who fights for something he or she believes in is going to fight harder than one who fights for money, or because he's been told he must."

"Mmm. But what if the thing you believe in is poisoned?"

This time the look he shot her was deeper, and more penetrating. "I suppose that depends on the nature of the poison, and of the dream."

* * *

It was a small banquet, as such things went. The seven of them on one side of the table, facing Gestahl, Leo, and five of his soldiers on the other side. More Special Forces, Celes realized, judging by their uniforms. Once again, she was on Edgar's left, with Locke beside her, and Terra on the end. Sabin sat on Edgar's right, followed by Cyan, and then Gau, who had thankfully been listening during the Doma knight's quick crash course on table manners. At least, he seemed to have some idea of what to do with his utensils and wasn't trying to drink out of the soup bowl.

Edgar's opening toast "to their hometowns" had been nicely diplomatic, and after the soup course had passed with light, somewhat strained small talk, (mostly provided by General Leo and one very enthusiastic captain from Maranda) Gestahl got down to business.

"My friends, you have my most sincere apologies for what has passed. As it has been done in my name, I bear the responsibility. I can assure you that Kefka has been jailed for his crimes, and it is, of course, your right and prerogative to determine his fate. What are your demands?"

Celes really wanted to ask for the man's head on a platter, but that was why Edgar was the one handling all the talking at this banquet, unless someone directly asked one of the rest of them a question. Her brother- hmm, she was actually getting used to that idea- her brother took a sip of his wine and looked down at Cyan, before returning his gaze to Gestahl.

"His crimes are many and quite hideous, it's true. But vengeance is a poor and hollow comfort, one that will not heal a wound or raise the dead. I believe he should stand trial for his crimes, and be properly punished by the justice system."

"Hmm, well, we'll let him sit in his cell for a while while that's arranged," Gestahl agreed. "It's a bit of a difficult proposition, given the unique nature of his position. But I agree that the poisoning of Doma was a crime, not warfare. We've already moved to clean up as much of the poison as possible, and neutralize what remains. As regards General Celes-"

"Princess Celes," Edgar cut in smoothly.

The faintest hint of irritation flickered over Gestahl's face. "Yes, of course, Princess Celes."

He turned towards her. "My dear, you understood the stupidity of this war before any of us. I understand completely why you joined the Returners. Any charges of treason and desertion are of course null and void, though I suspect you'll be resigning your commission?"

Celes smiled at him, bright as sunlit ice. "More than likely, your majesty, though if Figaro and the Empire remain allies, I will be delighted to continue to assist and advise on military matters."

Gestahl momentarily looked like he'd bitten into a lemon. Leo, on the other hand, looked like his face had been carved out of stone, which Celes knew meant he was struggling not to laugh.

"Your generosity does you credit," the Emperor managed. "Now, before we move on to business, do you have any questions for me?"

With a charming smile, Edgar accepted a refill from the young woman pouring wine, who squeaked and hurried away. Taking another sip, he looked at the Emperor across the table.

"One or two. Why on earth did you start this war, anyway?"

Gestahl seemed to deflate, looking older all of a sudden. "My desire for power got the better of me. I know better now. Which is something we must convey to these Espers. If-"

"I'm sorry, one more question. Why do you so suddenly want peace now?"

"I feel we need each other's help at this time. There's no way the Espers would listen to us, or any human, really, but if we don't do something, they'll rip the world asunder! They've already decimated my Empire, we need to make them understand we're no longer a threat."

Another sip of wine. "Mmm, yes, they did go a bit far, didn't they?"

Celes could hardly believe it. Edgar actually sounded conciliatory! … And slightly lit. How much wine had he been drinking, anyway? Which seemed rather odd, for all of Edgar's tendency to appear irresponsible and unserious, he was usually more in control of himself than that. Then she blinked, as the woman handling the wine jug came back, pouring another glass for the soldier at the end of the table. That wasn't the same jug that Edgar's glass had been filled from. Leaning over Edgar's glass as subtly as she could, Celes took a discreet sniff.

Grape juice. That audacious son of a bitch. But they'd been in the palace an hour, tops! How the hell had he managed that? Then again, maybe she didn't want to know.

"Exactly! But after that rampage, I asked myself why I'd started the war in the first place, and I didn't have a good answer. More than anything now, I want peace. It's my true dream, and I want you to understand that."

Edgar smiled at him, just the slightest glassy sheen in his eyes. "Of course we do. Um… but perhaps a break? I believe some of us could… well, use a moment to compose ourselves."

"Of course," Gestahl smiled back, distaste mostly hidden. "Say, ten minutes?"

"Yes, that sounds excellent." Edgar rose, without wobbling, but with the kind of grace that spoke of long experience correcting for the effects of overindulgence. The rest of them rose as well, heading out of the dining room. As one of the serving women stepped forward to lead Celes and Terra to the nearest retiring room, she could hear Sabin scolding his brother in tones that were just loud enough to carry without being obvious.

"What's going on?" Terra asked, as their guide left them at the door to the small set of rooms.

"Use the toilet if you need to," Celes instructed, heading for one of the small rooms. "Then we need to head back. If things go anything like they did last time, the Special Forces are going to try and jump the boys on the way back from the bathrooms, and I don't want to miss that."

"Edgar's not really drunk, is he?" Terra ducked into one of the other toilets.

"Not a bit. The wine server's been giving him grape juice the whole time. Heavens alone know when he managed to chat her up though."

"I lost track of him while Sabin was taking on that Magitek Armor."

"There's a door to the kitchens there, if I remember right."

"But… I only took my eyes off of him for five minutes!" Terra yelped. "How does he _do_ that?"

Celes shook her head, quickly washing her hands. "There are some mysteries on this earth we were never meant to understand, I think."

Finding their way back to the dining hall was easy, even without a guide. They just had to follow the sounds of the brawl, occurring in the large space just outside the doors.

In deference to the idea of the peace talks, no one was using weapons, or magic, or Rages, in Gau's case. Which didn't stop it from being a bit of a rout. Sabin, of course, had been training in the martial arts since sometime before puberty. Cyan was a knight of Doma, and while he was best with a sword, no knight worth his salt neglected the unarmed arts. Locke's "treasure hunting" had landed him in more than a few unsavory dives over the years. Gau was pretty much just jumping from person to person as if he were getting a series of piggyback rides. And Edgar had taken up boxing years ago, ostensibly to keep in shape and impress women. The Special Forces were good, but they weren't that good.

Looking at a clock on one of end tables, Celes let out one of her best parade-ground whistles. All the action came to a halt as ten men stared at her with various degrees of sheepishness.

"If we may continue the _peace_ talks?" she said acidly. The men filed through the doors ahead of her, though she saw one of the troopers handing Locke a small pouch of gil with a rueful smile on his bruised face.

Once everyone was seated again, (and Leo had sized up his troops with an amused eye) Gestahl rose to his feet. "I say once again, this war is truly over. But now I must ask for a favor. After devastating my empire, the Espers headed north, to Crescent Island. They must be found! We must tell them we're no longer their enemy. After all I have put them through, it is up to me to set things right. That is why, I need to borrow Terra's power. Only she can bridge the gap between Esper and human. The freighter from Albrook will sail to Crescent Island. Will you accompany General Leo in finding the Espers and asking them to negotiate a peace, just as you have with me?"

Edgar turned to look down the table at Terra, who bit her lip and looked down at the table, then nodded.

Gestahl smiled. "Excellent. Then we, well, you and Leo, will meet in Albrook. I'm afraid that I'd only slow you down on a trip like this. Once the Espers are found, though, send word, and I'll come to meet where you are. You are our last hope." Bowing, he walked out.

Rising as well, Leo bowed to all of them. "I must go and make preparations. I look forward to seeing you in Albrook." Then he left, trailing the Special Forces behind him.

"Well, that was a pretty little performance," Edgar drawled, all glassiness in his gaze gone as he too stood up from the table. "I think even without Celes's… warnings, I would have smelled a rat."

"You did," Celes replied quietly. "It still wasn't enough. We didn't understand just how powerful Kefka was, or the extent of Gestahl's ruthlessness."

Cyan laid a hand on her shoulder. "Things will be different this time," he promised quietly.

"I don't know how different, though," Locke mused. "I think like last time, it should be Celes, Terra, and me headed off to Crescent Island. Terra has to go, Gestahl thinks he still has Celes snowed, and I'm just an adventurer and treasure hunter. Let him figure he can steamroller us, and he won't try to do something different."

Edgar nodded. "The rest of us will remain here, and presume on the Emperor's hospitality while Setzer gets the engine overhauled."

"And you can get that wine server to tell you when he's gonna make his move, right?" Sabin said slyly.

"I'm a perfect gentleman, what _are_ you talking about?"

Gau bounced a little in place. "Me no like this place. Sleep on airship?"

Locke snorted. "Kid's got a point. Stay the night there, set out for Albrook in the morning?"

"Mmm. I need to pick up a few things from my old quarters," Celes replied lightly. "I'll meet you back there, all right?"

For a moment, Edgar simply stared at her, then shrugged. "Be back by midnight, otherwise I will come looking for you, and that might be a diplomatic incident."

"I promise, big brother. It'll be fine."

* * *

The three of them set off for Albrook bright and early the next morning. It wasn't a particularly long march, maybe an hour and a half at normal walking pace. Leo would likely have made it down the night before, thanks to the speed of Magitek Armor, and the fact that it had little trouble moving at night. Once out of sight of Vector, the worn dirt road cutting through the countryside seemed almost cheerful, as if the events of the day before had never occurred.

Letting Terra drift a bit ahead, Locke fell back to walk alongside Celes. "Made it home before curfew, I notice," he teased.

"Were you waiting up for me too?"

He made a face. "I let Gau talk me into helping him learn a few more card games. Setzer was there too, but mostly to kibbitz. And laugh."

"You lost?"

"I'm lucky I still have a _shirt_ , Celes, that kid is a shark."

Celes pursed her lips. "It's not actually that surprising. For all that magic supposedly disappeared from the world after the War of the Magi, we've seen hints of it in people here and there. Banon's ability to heal through prayer, Sabin's blitzes, and some of the people of Thamasa on Crescent Island all have powers that aren't magic as you and I use it, but they're very definitely magical. I suspect Gau has something similar that allows him to understand people and animals in ways that bypass normal communication. It's the only reason I can think of that he ever learned to speak at all."

Cocking his head, Locke considered this. "Which would make him really, really good at reading body language, wouldn't it? No wonder he skunked me. Good thing we were just playing for food. "

He shrugged "Did you get everything you needed from the palace?"

"Oh yes. There's nothing left there I need to take care of." Tipping her face up to the sky, she closed her eyes as she absorbed the warmth of the sun's rays. "Though I'm sure Emperor Gestahl won't be happy when he hears that."

A snort. "I live to ruin that guy's day, you know that."

"I know. It's one of your more charming characteristics," she grinned at him.

He grinned back, then sobered. "So… you didn't go into depth before. What happened on this trip last time?"

"Well, for one thing, I was assigned to accompany Leo as a representative of the Empire. I don't know if the Emperor will send someone in my place, or not. Leo wound up hiring Shadow in Albrook, which did come in handy later. You and I… weren't really talking at that point, so I'm not sure all of what went on with you and Terra. We split into two groups once we hit the island, and you two took Shadow and went to Thamasa, while Leo and I checked a different part of the island. You managed to find the Espers, and the whole group met up in Thamasa…"

"And that's when Kefka showed up," Locke finished. "Okay, then. What do you think we should change?"

"Nothing. I don't think I should be with you when you get to Thamasa, I'm still more likely to be identified as an Imperial general than anything, and given the Thamasans' history, they'll be very wary of us. Finding the Espers _is_ important, as is bringing them to meet with Leo. As for the rest of it… I have a plan, but so much of it is subject to change, I don't want to say anything about it and set up false expectations for you. So honestly, just go on with what's occurring, but be ready for an ambush. If you can cast Safe or Shell on a target quickly, that might be good."

He nodded slowly, absorbing that. "I know the spells, but getting it on a moving target could be tricky. Care to help me practice?"

"You're on!" Hefting her pack on her shoulders, she dashed ahead, blowing by a startled Terra as Locke tossed magic after her.

The trip to Albrook seemed much shorter after that.

* * *

Things were much more congenial in Albrook this time around, though tides once again meant that they were forced to stay the night in the inn before setting off. Shadow had obviously recognized Locke, even giving him a semi-respectful nod of acknowledgment. The ninja kept his distance from the rest of them, however, and Leo was busy dealing with a few last-minute details, so it was only the three of them for most of the day. Celes noticed she was getting looks from some of the townsfolk- not hostile, more surprised or considering. Perhaps it was because she wasn't wearing her uniform, or because she was keeping company with two very non-military companions. Regardless, it was rather nice to be treated so.. well, normally.

The next day, they were up bright and early to ship out with the morning tide. Once aboard, Leo laid out his plan, unchanged from what Celes remembered. That was good, as there'd be less changes for her to plan around. Things were already going to be a bit delicate. The hardest part was the voyage, which would take until the next morning. Not that the trip itself was unpleasant; Celes had always enjoyed sailing, unlike Locke. The treasure hunter had gotten seasick as soon as they'd reached open water, and wouldn't be free of it until they'd made port on Crescent Island.

No, honestly, the hardest part was sharing a ship with Leo and not telling him everything. The older man had been a mentor and in many ways a friend, as much as she'd ever been allowed to have any by the demands of her training and life. She knew him, knew he was honest and honorable down to his bones, and she could see he was trying to understand her apparently erratic actions. It was incredibly tempting to simply confess everything and ask for his help. But for all of Leo's honor and honesty, he was also very loyal to Emperor Gestahl. Until she had proof that the Emperor was just as much a monster as Kefka, she couldn't take the risk that Leo wouldn't believe her. Luckily, catering to Locke's utter misery made a good excuse to avoid the man.

Unfortunately, that meant Terra was mostly left to her own devices for most of the trip. The other girl had assured her that it was fine, and not to worry, but Celes couldn't help herself. Which was why she'd left Locke hanging grimly onto the railing, and made her way to the front of the boat in time to hear Leo and Terra having a quiet conversation.

"I'm the product of a human and an Esper… will I ever be able to love someone?"

Leo's response sounded surprised. "Of course!"

"But… I haven't felt that way yet."

"You're young. But I understand what you mean. I understand only too well." Silence for a moment, and then Celes could hear Leo's steps headed aft. Celes waited another moment, then slipped out to stand beside Terra, staring into the water along the ship's bow.

"Is that what's bothering you?" Celes asked quietly.

Terra nodded, still staring at the waves.

Sighing, Celes leaned against the railing. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why is this question so important to you? Why are you focused on whether or not you can love?"

That got a blink from the other woman, who apparently had to give that thought some consideration. "I… it started at the Returners hideout, I guess. Everyone was talking about fighting for people important to them, for the people they loved. And I- I didn't have that. I didn't even understand it. But everybody else obviously does. If I don't… am I actually a person?"

Terra turned her gaze from the sea to lock eyes with Celes pleadingly. "In that other future… did it happen? Was I ever able to love?"

"You were. I think… I think the way we talk about love is flawed, sometimes. The word is used for so many things, and the only thing anyone talks about is romance."

"Like you and Locke?"

Celes smiled a little. "Yes, though most people don't have to jump through quite so many hoops as we do. But there are other types of love, just as strong. There's the love of a parent for a child, or vice versa. There's the love of brothers and sisters, the way Sabin and Edgar love each other, even with so many years between them. And there's the love of friends; Locke and Edgar love each other, its why they tease each other so much. In that future, you became a surrogate parent for a bunch of children who had no one else. You loved them enough to fight for them, even when you thought you couldn't win.

"Love is… love is when another person's happiness makes you happy, when your heart lightens at their smile, when their well-being is more important than your desires. And that's simplifying it ridiculously, but it's such a complex feeling, it's very hard to put it into words. It's sometimes hard to recognize it even when you feel it. But sooner or later, you do know. And honestly, Terra, I think you've already experienced love. You have all of us, and I know you'd fight and die for any of us, as we would for you."

"Yes, but… I don't _feel_ that. At least, I don't think I do."

Celes looked up at the sky for a moment. "Terra… how long has it been, exactly, since Arvis took that Slave Crown off you?"

Terra blinked. "Um. Three weeks? No… a month? I think. Not much more than that."

"Did you know Cid invented them? Not for the purpose they were used for, of course. As near as I can tell, one of the other scientists dug the design out of his scrapped invention pile and put them into production. But they were originally supposed to be something warriors wore intentionally, to suppress emotion so that they could act completely rationally in battle."

"What happened?"

"Cid learned that you couldn't suppress emotions without suppressing conscious thought. Without emotions, all you had was a walking robot. But thoughts and emotions are complex, and even once a crown is taken off, they take a while to recover. Things like fear come back first, they're far more basic. Other emotions can take much longer."

"But… even after a month? It's not like I don't have any feelings, it's just..."

Celes was silent for a moment. "There's a man who works in the Imperial archives. He's quite brilliant, and very kind, always willing to help me find any information I needed. But his mind doesn't… it doesn't work like other people's. He doesn't understand jokes very well, he finds loud noises distressing, and he hates it when things aren't exactly the way they were the day before. And most importantly, for this discussion, he doesn't always know what he's feeling. He quite definitely feels it, but he can't identify the emotions, or name them. He knows he's afraid because he feels sick to his stomach and his hands shake. It might be the same for you, either as a lingering effect from the crown, or possibly because of your ancestry. The point is, the feelings are still there, you just have to take a different path to name them."

"Oh." Terra looked up at the moon. "I guess that makes some sense. Thanks, Celes."

"You're welcome. And Terra? Whether or not you feel love, I'm positive you're a person. Not having everything figured out is pretty much a default state for the entire human race."

Terra laughed at that.

* * *

Terra had headed off to bed, in a much better mood. She'd even promised to get Locke settled, as well, so Celes was taking a moment to stare at the starry sky and just relax. Somewhere behind her, she heard the soft rustling footstep that passed for politeness where a certain ninja was concerned. Pushing herself upright, she didn't even bother to look over her shoulder.

"Don't bother leaving on my account, _Clyde Arrowny_. I've been wanting to talk to you anyway."

A moment of dead silence.

"Where did you hear that name?" There was a note of curiosity, more emotion than she'd ever heard in that dead voice before.

"It's a long story, so let's just say that I've seen the future, or a future at least. I've met your daughter; in fact, you'll be meeting her in a day or so, as things currently stand."

"I don't have a daughter."

"You had a wife, didn't you? She gave you the ring you still wear. Your daughter, Relm, wears the same one. She bears your name, the only thing you gave her. And your dog adores her, even when he ignored the rest of us. Well, I lie, he usually gave Gau funny looks, but that's only understandable, given how strange that boy must smell."

Another footstep, and Shadow came to stand beside her at the rail. "Why?"

"Why bring it up now? Because in that future, you saved us. And while I intend to be sure that you don't need to this time, it means there's more to you than a mercenary, assassin, and death-seeker. I don't know what you're running from, but we've all done things we're not proud of, things we have to live with. You're not that special."

He actually snickered. "I see. That future. It was bad?"

"Very bad."

"And you have plans to stop it."

"I do. If I could count on you, that would be very helpful."

He regarded her for a long moment, no body language or facial expressions to give a clue to his thoughts. Finally he nodded sharply.

"Tell me."

"First, I'll want you to escort Locke and Terra to Thamasa..."

* * *

Luckily, nothing had happened to make Leo change his plans. Once the ship made port at Crescent Island, Shadow, Locke, and Terra had headed up the east coast of the island, making for Thamasa. Meanwhile, she and Leo had taken their small squad and made their way up the west coast, making sure to check the forests as well. They'd move more slowly than the other three, but with a larger group, covering the extra territory didn't slow them too badly.

They made excellent time over the plains, but the mountains were slower going, and Leo called frequent halts for everyone to rest, drink, and eat. Finally, as the sun began to set, Leo ordered camp set up in a small notch that quite likely was the only significant amount of flat ground for miles.

Oddly enough, Celes couldn't find that she missed having the extra comforts of a general's tent, meager though those might have been. Her single-person shelter was small and simple, but it spoke of her freedom, and that meant more than the extra space. Though she might miss the extra windproofing, she admitted to herself, hammering in the last peg. Nearby, several soldiers were attending to the other necessities of setting up camp, such as building the fire and digging a latrine trench.

"You're very… different," Leo observed, making her jump a little. It wasn't that she hadn't known he was there, she simply thought he was still focused on setting up his own tent, which he had located next to hers. Whether that was to protect her from the men, the men from her, or simply to proclaim that she was one of them regardless of what had gone before, she wasn't sure. It could be any or even all of the above. Leo was like that.

Brushing her bangs out of her eyes, Celes looked at him. "Well, I'm overdue for a haircut, and I don't have to wear a uniform anymore. I'm sure that makes a difference."

Leo shook his head. "No, that's not it. Though yes, you do look different. But you carry yourself differently. You were always graceful, with a certain flow to your movements. It's more… you were poised, before, always holding yourself ready to act, to move in whatever direction was required. Now you're balanced, instead. It's more natural."

"What you mean is, I finally look comfortable in my own skin."

He looked struck by that, then nodded slowly. "Yes. That's exactly it. And while I'm grateful to see it, and to see you seem more woman than ice statue, I can't help but think it's happened very quickly. You almost seem a different person, and I don't think it's just the fact that you're now a princess."

Celes laughed. "Oh, believe me, that was as much a shock to me as it was to you. But when Edgar really, truly sets his mind on something, only a miracle or an avalanche of evidence can convince him to change it. And who knows, it might even be true. Apparently the Emperor and the previous King did have a visit of state a bit less than a year before I turned up at the orphanage."

"That was the start of the alliance, yes. And you're evading the subject."

"I am, yes," she sighed. "I can't… I can't explain it to you now. The story, it's all one piece, and some of it you simply wouldn't believe without proof. When I have that proof, I swear I'll tell you all of it. I want to. But until then, there's too much that could go wrong. I can't take that risk."

For a long moment, he simply regarded her, before nodding once. "You've always done your duty, whatever that happened to be. Whatever else has changed in you, I don't think that has. But I hope your explanation comes swiftly. Until then, I'll be patient."

As he strode off towards the campfire, Celes turned away, staring out at the landscape swathed in the darkness below. Over there were the lights of Thamasa, unusually bright- oh, right, that was the house fire Locke had told her about. Well, he and Terra were prepared for that, and helping rescue Relm from the blaze had been the only thing that made the people of the town willing to trust them. They'd be all right.

Turning from Thamasa, her gaze swept across the darkened plains below, toward the coastline that was invisible in the swiftly falling night. Invisible, except for the sheltered campfire someone had built on the beach. Celes smirked. That was the problem with some people; they had such a high opinion of themselves, they weren't aware how much they didn't know. Like just how visible a fire was at night, or how good her eyesight was, even at this distance.

 _Got you, you bastard,_ she crowed silently. _It's not going to happen this time._ Everything was in place; now it was just time to be patient. Luckily, if there was anything life in the army taught you, it was how to wait.

* * *

They were less than half an hour's march from Thamasa when Locke's carrier pigeon arrived. Leo read the attached message, eyebrows rising as he went.

"Well, then," he commented, folding the slip up and tucking it away. "It would seem our search here is no longer necessary. Start heading southeast, men. That will take us out of the mountains directly where the Thamasan peninsula joins the bulk of the island. We'll leave the Magitek Armor there with a two-man guard. I want us meeting the Espers as representatives of the Empire's government, not its military force. You are not to draw your weapons for anything other than immediate self-defense, and even then, should violence occur, your primary objective should be to _disengage._ These people have a legitimate grievance with the Empire, and while Locke and Terra have said that they harbor no current hostility, the sight of us might spark something. Am I clear?"

All of his men saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Leo massaged the bridge of his nose for a moment, the only indication of trepidation she'd ever seen him display. Then he raised his chin and pointed towards the southeast. "Forward, march!"

Celes hung back a bit as the men marched along the road, focused mostly on their not-so-distant followers. They were actually fairly good- if she hadn't tagged them with a Scan spell when she'd spotted their fire the night before, she wouldn't be able to sense them now. Luckily, no one noticed her distraction, and she'd long since mastered the ability to march without actually paying more than cursory attention to her path. She was unsurprised, as they entered the village proper, to feel their pursuers swinging wide to the east, following the coast up and around. They'd come in from the north, then, over the cliffs that it would be difficult to bypass without climbing gear- or Magitek Armor, of course.

Letting her gaze sweep around the village, she saw Locke and Terra standing by a man- well, a being, at least, with blue hair and dark skin, all three of them shifting with well-contained nervousness. Shadow leaned against a wall nearby, watching as Interceptor licked the face of an adorable little girl in a red hooded cape. Meeting her eyes, he nodded once and slipped off around the building, heading towards the north side of the village.

Ahead of her, Leo was striding toward the Espers, his men following three paces behind. Close enough not to seem apprehensive, far enough not to be overwhelming. Good. No one was paying attention to her, now, so she slid off towards the north as well, listening to Leo and Yura trade introductions with one ear.

When the first Magitek Armor leaped down from the cliff, she was ready, hitting the machine's legs with a Bolt spell powerful enough to cause the mechanism to seize up, sending its pilot sprawling out on the ground. Two more crashed down as well, pilots unconscious from Shadow's well-flung darts. By the time the unit's commander realized what had happened, Celes's sword was resting a millimeter from his jugular.

Back in the center of the village, all eyes had turned towards the commotion they'd caused, and it would be hard to say who was the most startled. The Thamasans had no idea what was going on, Leo was simply shocked, and as for Locke and Terra…

"Wait, who's he?" Terra demanded, staring at the commander. "Where's Kefka?"

Celes raised an eyebrow at the man before her. "Well? Where is Kefka, anyway?"

"… Um. Lord Kefka is… um. Dead, ma'am," the commander replied, swallowing. "When the guard came to release him the day after the banquet, they found him in his cell. I heard it looked like somebody froze him from the inside out."

And now everybody was staring at her. Leo was expressionless, as always. Terra looked horrified, though a bit satisfied as well. And as for Locke… huh. Actually, Locke didn't look particularly surprised.

The treasure hunter shrugged. "Celes, you told me the only thing you'd ever actually owned rather than having issued was that dress the Opera House altered for you to wear. And suddenly you needed to pick up something from your rooms? Please. And as far as I'm concerned, that was probably faster and more merciful than he deserved."

Celes grinned at him, though her sword didn't lower an inch. "I knew I loved you for a reason." She had the pleasure of seeing him blush.

All this time, Leo's gaze had remained locked on the armor unit's commander. Stepping forward, he nodded at Celes to lower her sword. She did as she was bid, as no one, including the commander, had any illusions as to how quickly Leo could take him apart if necessary.

"What are you doing here, Commander… Talbot, isn't it?" Leo demanded, his tone quiet. The man swallowed again.

"Emperor Gestahl's orders, sir," Talbot replied stiffly. "We were to find and acquire the surviving Espers for transport back to the Magitek Factory and immediate… uh, processing."

It took all her years of Ice Queen demeanor to keep Celes from celebrating. Kefka hadn't seen the shards, or at the very least, hadn't recognized their significance. Gestahl didn't know about Magicite, and thus had sent a capture squad rather than an extermination one. Oh, she could have handled a squad of killers, especially with Kefka finally and permanently out of the picture, but if they'd been aiming to kill the Espers, they'd have been able to do a lot more damage, and quickly.

Leo, on the other hand, looked like he'd been stabbed, dark skin going an unhealthy grey. Collecting himself, he shot Celes a keen glance. "Was this your proof?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. The Emperor has no conception of truth, or honesty, or honor. The only principle he serves is power, and only his own. There's more to tell you, but… until you could believe this, none of the rest could be told."

He nodded, tiredly. "I see. Very well." His gaze fixed on Talbot again.

"The Emperor won't expect to hear from you for another day at least. So for tonight…" he looked at the village mayor. "Is there perhaps a place we could put these gentlemen for the evening? It doesn't have to be particularly comfortable, just secure."

The mayor nodded. "Inn has a root cellar. Not much damage they could do down there."

"Excellent. I'll post two men at the front of the village, three hour shifts. Just in case these aren't the only ones out there.

"Yura, perhaps it would be best if your people retreated into the mountains for now. When this problem has been dealt with, we could perhaps send Terra as an emissary to begin actual negotiations."

"I believe that is a fair tactic," the Esper leader agreed. "However, I will remain here. I believe _you_ came to us in good faith, General Leo, and that faith I will return."

Leo acknowledged that with a nod. "You honor me with your trust, sir."

With that settled, Celes turned to Commander Talbot, who was trying not to pay attention to the way Shadow was nonchalantly dragging one of his unconscious troops toward the inn.

"Come along, Commander. Let's get you settled in your new accommodations. And unlike me, you'll even get your own bucket."

* * *

After the prisoners had been secured in the cellar, and Leo had been dissuaded by his men from his intention to take a guard shift, ("Sir, Generals need their goddamn sleep, sir!") Celes found herself out on the village green, sitting beneath the lone tree and staring up at the sky. She was unsurprised when the footsteps on the gravel path turned out to be Leo, and simply shifted over to make room for him to sit beside her.

"Are you ready to tell me the rest of it?" he asked, after some silence.

She let out a breath. "It's a long and ridiculous story, and I'm not entirely sure how much of it I understand. But the short of it is that either I traveled back in time, or I had a sudden, accurate, and incredibly detailed vision of a future that would come to pass if things weren't changed. In that future, Kefka led that squad, and they came to kill the Espers, not capture them. They wanted the power of magic, and they would do anything, anything to get it. And… last time, you died. Kefka took on the Emperor's face, and when your guard was down, he stabbed you in the back. They buried you here in Thamasa. And then… basically, the world ended. Kefka murdered the Emperor, because Kefka wanted to destroy the world and the Emperor only wanted to rule it. We had one last chance… and then I was back here. And I knew I had to stop it from happening."

Leo absorbed all of this without speaking. "Which is why you executed Kefka in his cell."

"He wasn't going to be tried, or punished. Why should be be? Everything he did was basically approved of. Why do you think the Emperor pulled you out of Doma anyway? It was taking too long, and Kefka would get results. I knew if he died, the Emperor would simply send a squad, but they'd only have Magitek Armor, and knowing they were coming, I could outmaneuver them. Kefka? He was _powerful_ , and insane. The only way I managed to kill him at all was by striking when he had no defenses. … I'm not going to say it wasn't murder. But there wasn't another way."

"Which is why you did it yourself, without involving any of your friends. I said before, you've always done what you saw as your duty. This was just more of the same."

She nodded. "I think Edgar suspected, but..."

"But Kefka burned his castle, threatened his people and committed mass murder against a population that could well have been Figaro, if things had been different, so I don't suppose he gave a damn. To be honest, while I don't like what it says about me, neither do I. Kefka was a rabid dog, and putting one of those down is not only an obligation, but a kindness to the dog."

"I suppose you're right. The problem is, I can't leave it at that. The Emperor… he looked at the destruction of Vector, the burned homes, the injured and killed people, and all he could think of was using the idea of peace to continue amassing his power. He won't _stop_ , Leo. There's a cancer at the heart of the Empire, and it's him."

For a long moment, he made no reply, just stared up at the stars. "That's several steps beyond Kefka," he pointed out mildly.

"I know. But the man I thought I pledged myself to never existed. There's only a power-hungry grasping tyrant who will never be satisfied, who will claim everything for himself and stomp out anything that doesn't meet his ideas of what's right. The Empire's dream is poisoned, Leo. In the end, it's about power and death, not peace and not honor. He doesn't have any."

A sudden thought made her laugh. "He doesn't have an heir. Why didn't any of us think about how strange that is? He's an old man, the Empire is several decades old, but there's no one to take over for him, no plan for transfer of power, because he wasn't interested in passing it on. He never intends to die, and if he does, then he's going to take it with him."

"So what it comes down to," Leo mused, "is whether I'm loyal to my liege, or my people. And if I choose the Emperor, things will get ugly, won't they?"

"Ideally, I'd put you to sleep and leave you in the root cellar with the others," Celes said honestly.

"Well, don't, I have an aversion to turnips. I swore my oaths to the Emperor as my liege, but… I would like to believe I'm a _good_ man, not just an honorable one."

Relief made Celes almost giddy. "Good. If I come back bedraggled and say I'm all that's left of the delegation, I should be able to get access to him for long enough."

"No, you won't. Or you might, but at that point, you'd be arrested and executed. Someone needs to keep the ministers and advisors from seizing power, and you can't do that if you're guilty of regicide. To say nothing of the fact that as princess of Figaro, that might be enough for someone to declare war. The Emperor won't think anything strange of me requesting a meeting with him upon returning from the island, or of asking that it be private."

"I can't ask you to sacrifice yourself for this. Not again," Celes protested. "Look, we both have equal claim to this, so… let's flip a coin, all right? Heads, I do it. Tails, I leave it up to you."

"All right. But we'll use one of mine, I think." His lips quirked in a smile. "I have had dealings with Edgar of Figaro, you see."

Celes blushed, tucking the two-headed coin back in her pocket. In response, Leo dug out a coin of his own, flipping it into the air. It soared upwards, flashing briefly in the lights from the surrounding houses, until a black-clad hand snatched it out of the air.

"It occurs to me," Shadow said mildly, "that you two are discussing an assassination. Which is, by definition, a job for an assassin. Of which there is one about."

"I suppose there is," Leo said thoughtfully. "Are you accepting the job?"

"Yes. If you can get me access."

Celes thought quickly. "That shouldn't be too difficult, though I'd like to discuss it with Yura in the morning."

"Then I'll see you both then," the ninja replied, turning away.

Leo cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but might I have my coin back?"

Turning back, Shadow held the coin up, flipping it to show first one side, then the other. In the dim light, Celes could just see that both sides were identical- tails, instead of heads.

"Don't see too many like this," he mused. "I think I'll keep it. Call it my fee."

He vanished into the darkness, as Celes tried not to snicker.

* * *

 _Emperor Gestahl,_

 _My liege, our trip has been successful. We have met with the Espers, and they have extended a hand to us in friendship. They deeply regret the destruction they caused, and wish to assist us in our rebuilding as an act of restitution. I will be escorting Yura, the spokesman for the Espers who remain in our world at this time, back to Vector. He most ardently wishes to speak with you to discuss a lasting peace between our two peoples. Princess Celes will accompany me, as a representative of both the Returners and an allied nation, to act as an impartial observer._

 _One other matter. On the morning of our second day in Thamasa, a hunting party brought in five gravely injured soldiers, a Magitek Armor unit led by a man named Commander Talbot. All five are recovering well, but none can recall what sent them to the mountains of the Crescent Island, nor the circumstances leading to their injury. I suspect they may have been caught in a rockfall; these mountains are dangerous for the unwary. The village healer gives them only an even chance of ever regaining their memories completely. I have instructed that they be cared for until such time as they can return to duty, at which time Thamasa's mayor will send a carrier pigeon asking for the return of the freighter._

 _Your loyal servant,_

 _Leo._

Folding the paper back up, Celes nodded approvingly as she handed it back to Leo, who attached the message to the carrier bird. "That should have him unconcerned about the lack of messages from Talbot, and more than willing to meet with all of us as soon as we arrive."

"Alone?" Yura asked, as the bird flew away. "I had to argue for half the night to keep anyone else from coming along on this venture, and all of you have already proved worthy of trust."

Leo snorted, leaning against a rail as the crew around them made ready to cast off. "Oh, the Emperor will definitely want it to just be us. He's likely to try and charm you, and the fewer people around to hear him make promises he'll later break, the better. And I wouldn't put it past him to have some type of Magitek weapon for his own defense which he'll break out if he thinks things are going poorly."

"Exactly," Celes agreed. "Leo and I are ultimately disposable, in his point of view. If he can get enough magic, or Magitek power, he won't need skilled generals, he'll simply need warm bodies to carry out his orders. Our ethics and honor are rapidly becoming more of a hindrance than we're worth."

"I see." Yura shook his head. "Despite the danger, I'm even more certain now that accompanying you is the right thing. If I can help remove this threat to my people, any danger is worth facing."

The trip back was uneventful. Locke and Terra stayed in Thamasa to spend more time talking to the Espers and Strago. Shadow's dog stayed in Thamasa to spend more time licking Relm. Yura didn't get seasick, and Shadow spent so little time visible, Celes was pretty sure the crew hadn't even realized he was there.

She'd asked him how he planned to get past the Emperor's security, at which point he'd shown her a small scroll, barely large enough to fill the palm of his hand. "Casts Vanish," he'd said. "If they don't have magic, they won't see me coming."

And they hadn't. She and Leo had escorted Yura through the front gates of the palace, ignoring the various stares and whispers following in their wake. With herself and Leo flanking the Esper like an honor guard, Shadow was able to slip through doors and gates in their wake without any sign of his presence. Soon the four of them stood in the throne room, where Gestahl waited. Alone, just as Leo had said.

Rising from his seat, the Emperor came down the aisle to meet them. "My friends, you have returned," he said jovially, though Celes noted that the humor didn't touch his eyes. "And my most heartfelt gratitude to you, Yura, for coming to speak with me. Are you then the leader of your people?"

"My people do not generally have leaders in the same way yours do, Emperor," the Esper replied. "Say rather that I was the driving force behind our expedition here, and I was the one chosen to be able to speak for our contingent. Those behind the gate are another matter, of course."

"Oh, of course," Gestahl replied. "There will be many negotiations, I'm certain, but for now, I hope at the very least, I may say we are friends?"

Gestahl extended a hand, and Celes started as she saw the ring on his finger, a decoration she'd never noticed before.

"A new trinket, your majesty?"

Startling for a moment, Gestahl let out a huffing laugh. "So observant, Princess Celes. Yes, and it does some interesting tricks. Observe." He twisted the head of the ring, and a white flash filled the room. Immediately, Celes felt all of her limbs go numb and frozen. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Leo and Yura were in the same condition.

"Isn't it lovely?" Gestahl said, eyes glittering. "One of my own personal scientists discovered how to bind a Stop spell to it, from one of those beasts we managed to drain before your little excursion to the factory. One of the few bits of Magitek I have left, to be honest. It will hold for quite a long time, as well, more than long enough for the troops to come and deal with all of you. Yura, here, will be the first guest in the newly rebuilt Magitek Facility. You, my dear, will be the second. I'm sure the scientists can learn a great deal from studying what Cid's process has wrought over the years. As for my loyal General Leo, well… I'm afraid you'll simply have to have an accident. You've served me well over the years, but your usefulness is ended. It's time to install a new wave of generals, ones who will be a bit more pliable and easily- urk!"

The Emperor's face went dead white as he clutched at his chest, staggered two steps, and then fell over. After a second, Shadow faded into visibility, bending over to take the ring off Gestahl's finger. Throwing it to the ground, he crushed it beneath his heel, and Celes sucked in a long breath as she felt herself able to move again.

"What took you so long?" Leo asked, rubbing his chest.

Shadow shrugged. "Couldn't get a good shot. All those robes, even if he wasn't wearing armor under 'em, they'd foul the needle. Had to wait for his neck to be exposed."

"Poison needle?" Celes asked.

"Yeah. Looks like natural causes. Pinprick doesn't leave a bruise, poison doesn't show signs." Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out another Vanish scroll.

"Wait!" Celes called. "What are you going to do now?"

"I think I'll head to Thamasa," he replied. "I'm told it's a good place for new starts." Then in a puff of smoke, he was gone.

* * *

After Emperor Gestahl's tragic death from heart failure, General Leo ascended to the throne, as a natural consequence of being both capable of the job and not particularly desirous of it. As Sabin had commented, "People always say the best guy to be in charge is the one who doesn't want the job. That's bullshit, I'd have made an awful king. Usually the best choice is the guy who's more interested in the job than the position."

Several of Gestahl's advisors had objected, but none of them had any proof of wrongdoing and the acclaim of the people more than drowned them out. Any who seemed inclined to do more than complain were confronted with evidence of their own wrongdoings, which was enough to shut them up. It didn't hurt that the majority of the surviving army were rabidly loyal to Leo, either.

Maranda and Tzen were in quiet negotiations with the new Emperor for emancipation and reparations. Not that Leo had any intention of denying the requests; the problem was more in figuring out exactly how the exodus could be done, and just what the exiting cities would require. Just as quiet were Leo's talks with the people of Thamasa, in hopes of someday adopting something like their electoral structure, so that the Empire could hopefully never again be turned to the destructive whims of one man.

Yura's new Esper nation, located in the mountains of Crescent Island, also had sent emissaries to the Empire. Those Espers who had chosen to remain in the world of the humans were wary, but Terra's presence gave them some hope, as well as a very powerful defender if needed.

As Princess of Figaro, Celes had been spending a great deal of time assisting her kingdom's ally with their transfer of power. Locke, meanwhile, had been spending a great deal of time dragging her and Leo out of their offices to "relax, damn it, the paperwork will be there when you get back, and this is why we didn't fire _all_ of Gestahl's toadies."

Which is why she was standing in the hallway outside Leo's office right now, watching in amusement as Locke leaned in and knocked on the doorframe.

"It's Friday," the treasure hunter said bluntly, as Leo looked up from his work. "It's five o'clock. The night shift is here, the emergency people are on duty, and it is time for you to step away from the desk before I test Stop 2 on you and drag you out."

Leo rubbed his eyes once, then looked down to see the sheaf of papers on his desk had disappeared. Looking up, he saw Locke now holding the stack, tapping it idly against the doorframe.

"That wasn't even magic, was it?" Leo sighed.

"Nope. Now step away from the desk, or the requisition forms get it."

"They're done in triplicate for a reason, you know," Leo replied, but he was standing even as he spoke.

"Which is why I'm threatening them. Never make a threat you won't follow through with," Locke shot back, grinning. As the three of them headed out of the building, Locke dropped the papers off with Leo's backup secretary, who promised to file them where the Emperor could find them. Eventually. After he rested.

"I suspect a conspiracy," Leo announced, as the two of them chivvied him out into the street.

"Only to make you take better care of yourself," Celes replied. "We've lost one Emperor to a heart attack, we'd rather not make it two."

Leo shot her a glance that was dryer than the Figaro desert. "I suspect I do not have any of Emperor Gestahl's… health conditions to worry about."

Locke's grin showed far too many teeth for such a cheerful expression. "Better safe than sorry."

"Where are you taking me, anyway?"

Celes smirked. "Oh, the pub's finally reopened after the firebombings, and your entire old regiment wants to stand you a pint. Or possibly three."

Leo sighed. "Do they have rooms? Wobbling back to the palace might be hazardous to my imperial dignity."

"We'll get you home," Celes assured him. "With all the Magitek in my veins, I can't get drunk."

"And Remedy makes a hell of a way to sober up," Locke added. "Cures hangovers, too."

Turning down one of the narrow side-streets that led to the pub, Celes barely had a moment to see the purple blur pass overhead before a giant octopus crashed down in front of them, blocking the street completely.

"Gyahahahaha!" Ultros crowed, tentacles waving madly. "This will be our last battle! Trust me!"

Blinking a bit, Leo turned to look at Locke. "Friend of yours?"

Locke shrugged. "I'm being stalked by a squid. It happens."

"Should we invite the squid for a drink?"

"I'm an _octopus,_ damn it!" Ultros roared. "Squid have _ten_ tentacles, I have eight. Count 'em, eight!" He proceeded to wave all of said tentacles in the air in illustration.

Too fast to see, Leo unsheathed his sword, slicing through all eight tentacles in one blinding motion. Ultros was left with eight wiggling stubs, none longer than a foot.

Leo sheathed his sword. "Well, shall we get some of the men to dump him off at Albrook port? Or do you think Cid would like to take up marine biology?"

Stubs twitching, Ultros shifted sheepishly. "If it's all the same to you… I think I'd like that drink now."

* * *

The newly-opened Vector Aquarium had been a huge hit, Celes mused, reading the newest report. Some of the tamest monsters were even being exhibited to the children in a sort of petting zoo, and Ultros was the focus of attention at six shows daily. He seemed to be enjoying the attention. With some people, or cephalopods, you just never could tell.

A knock at the door of her tiny borrowed office, and she looked up to see Locke watching her hesitantly.

"Celes? The… Phoenix Magicite. Do you know where I found it? Last time?"

Setting aside her pen, Celes grimaced. "I do. The problem is, it was in a mountain formation that was underwater until Kefka reshaped the planet. You found it there a year after everything… happened. I don't know if it had been under the waves all that time, or if someone moved it there during the year. I'm sorry, Locke."

He deflated a bit. "No, I understand. I just… I can't leave Rachel like this. She's not dead, but she's not actually alive. If there's a chance, any chance, I have to take it… I have to think even moving on would be better than just… nothing."

"Yes… it would. Locke… I think it was the Phoenix Magicite that sent me back. I was carrying it when I died, and I'd learned all of the spells it had to teach me… I don't know if I can help, but maybe..."

As he looked up at her, the naked hope in his eyes was almost painful. "Could you? Please?"

"Of course. Just let me clear things with General Leo and we should be able to leave for Kohlingen tomorrow."

Leo's response had been something along the lines of "Get out of here before the paperwork eats you too," so Celes was definitely considering that as permission. Not that she actually needed it, no longer being in his command, but leaving him in the lurch wasn't something she could contemplate. As they approached the town of Kohlingen, Celes took a moment to appreciate the view. It still struck her, sometimes, how green and beautiful everything was in this time. And the fact that it was going to stay that way made it even more affecting.

It didn't take long before they were standing at Rachel's bedside. One of Celes's best smiles had chased the homeowner away, leaving the two of them alone with a young woman who was neither live, nor dead. Reaching out, Celes brushed a lock of blue-black hair aside, before resting one hand on Rachel's forehead and the other over her heart. Closing her eyes, she reached down inside, not for her magic but for the tiny little flame that had burned inside her since opening her eyes in the Opera House this time around.

Gently, she coaxed it up and out, letting it expand slowly, feeling it fill her chest and head. Despite the strength of the flames, she felt no pain, or any melting of the ice she carried within. The ice was hers, and to her it was never cold. The flame had been a gift, and while it had lived within her gladly, it was time for it to be passed on. Or was it returned?

Regardless, the flame belonged to the woman before her. Celes let it flow down her arms and into Rachel's waiting form. For a long moment, nothing happened, and then Celes felt that same throb that had preceded her trip back in time. Opening her eyes, she saw Rachel's body begin to glow with a warm red light, which waxed to almost blinding intensity before fading away, as the young woman opened her eyes.

"Done and well-done," Rachel said, eyes locked on Celes'. The voice was the same one she'd heard just before she fell into darkness, and Celes realized that the other woman had in fact been with her, just as she'd imagined.

Hesitantly stepping up to the bed, Locke started to stretch out a hand, before letting it fall. "Rachel?"

Rachel pushed herself into a sitting position and smiled. "Hello, Locke. I've dreamed of seeing you. I wanted to hear your voice, one last time."

"Last time?"

"You understand, or at least you've guessed it, I think. I am myself, but I'm also the Phoenix, two souls forged into something more. You made me so happy, brought me so much joy. I'll always love you. But it is the nature of all things, not simply the Phoenix, to die and be reborn from the ashes. Together, Celes and I lit the spark of this world's rebirth, but to be reborn, things have to change. I don't belong here, not as I am. I have to go. But I set your heart free. You must learn to love yourself again, and once again love others. Be reborn as well, Locke, my love, and set forth into a new world."

Turning to look at Celes, she offered a smile. "Take care of him, sister. I wish you both every joy."

Shutting her eyes, she laid back down, as the red glow returned, flaring brighter and brighter until Locke and Celes both had to shield their eyes from it. Then the light faded, and the bed was empty, save for a fine coating of ash.

With a wounded noise, Locke fell to his knees, head bowed as his tears fell with no shame. Celes knelt beside him, a bit more gracefully, and pulled him into an embrace, letting his tears fall on her shoulder.

After a brief silence, Celes felt Locke pull in a ragged breath and then, surprisingly, began to sing. His voice was a bit ragged and wavering, but his tenor was pleasant enough.

"So gently, you touched my heart, I will be forever yours. Come what may, I won't age a day, I'll love you always."

Celes chuckled. "Taking liberties with the libretto a bit?"

Pulling back, he gave her a watery smile. "It's opera. Nobody cares as long as you sing it." Pushing away gently, he levered himself to his feet, then offered her a hand as well. Rising, the two of them headed out the door into the bright sunshine, and the new world.

Owari


End file.
